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WALKING IN THE WIND
viii. THE HOUR OF SECRETS

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  BEFORE HOPE KNEW IT, the month of April was over.

  The last day of April was yesterday, which meant that today, the Wysterians would travel alongside King Edmund and a few of his men to Narnia. Hope didn't think she would be granted the opportunity to visit Narnia with Odette, but then everyone realized that the princess was hopeless without her lady-in-waiting... literally.

  Besides, Hope dreamed of seeing Narnia herself ever since her youth, and what kind of best friend would Odette be if she excluded Hope from their trip?

  Hope couldn't believe how fast the time passed. April was the quickest month of her life. It felt like yesterday when she was criticizing the princess's arranged marriage to an absolute stranger, and now, Hope was friends with said stranger.

  Hope supposed her new friendship with King Edmund was what made the time go by so quickly. She spent many hours with him throughout the past four weeks, and all of those hours seemed to dissipate in the blink of an eye. As they say, time goes by when you're having fun. Between his side-comments during meetings and his terrible habit of pulling Hope away from her responsibilities, Edmund was quite the character, Edmund seemed to make even the most trivial moments interesting.

  Hope still wasn't a fan of the arranged marriage, but she liked Edmund enough to where she could accept it. She felt relief knowing that Odette wouldn't be stuck with some asshole for the rest of eternity.

  As April came to an end, Hope noticed there was something different about Wysteria. For the first time in her life, Hope noticed that the bleak kingdom she called her home looked a little bit brighter than before. You know, minus the whole thing where Wysteria was dying faster and faster by the day.

  What Hope meant by this was that Wysteria didn't seem as gloomy and dreary as it usually did. With a new king and queen on the rise, Wysteria glistened with the potential its future held. The country seemed so much more hopeful than before.

  As they say, April showers bring May flowers, and after years and years of rainfall, a rainbow named Edmund Pevensie colored the skies.

  Hope never thought she would be alive to witness Wysteria's glorious comeuppance. She was born during some of the kingdom's darkest days. Her father once told her that he was a young boy when Wysteria was at its peak, so his memories of those times weren't very strong. The only thing he recalled was feeling like the sun's magic had seeped into his spirit. Hope longed to see those days herself, and now, there was a chance she would. She just wished her father were alive to see it himself.

  Three days had passed since Hope and Odette's conversation about soulmates, but it was still fresh on the former's mind. She couldn't stop thinking about that conversation and all of her troublesome thoughts that trailed after it. She needed to talk about them with someone, but it was far too early in the morning to pester Odette or anyone for that matter. That was how she found herself in the gardens.

  She sat upon a wooden bench with her eyes trained on a tall statue. The last time she visited this statue, she was with Edmund and it was the beginning of the month. The overgrown hedge that once covered the name inscribed into the statue had been trimmed. This was Henry Edwards, former Captain of the Royal Guard. Hope's father.

  To honor Hope's father, Odette had a sculpture of him made briefly after his death. All Odette had to go off of were a few drawings and her sharp memory (especially since she wanted to surprise Hope with it), but Hope always thought it was perfect. Every so often, Hope found herself sitting before the statue. Strangely, it comforted her. It was like her father was still alive.

  Hope didn't speak out loud to the thing. She tried once, but it felt strange carrying a conversation with someone who couldn't hear her. And then, she started thinking about how it was almost as though her father was turned to stone by the Greek myth, Medusa, and—

  Well, needless to say, she didn't do that anymore.

  Instead, she would sit on the bench before the statue and bask in its presence. Hope liked to think that her father could sense her from wherever he was in Aslan's Country. She assumed he was with her mother, too.

  As she gazed up at the statue, Hope replayed her conversation with Odette again. She certainly believed in soulmates, and she also believed in the idea of having multiple soulmates. She wondered if she'd already met any of her soulmates.

  That was how Hope's mind lingered to Odette and Edmund. She was originally against the idea of an arranged marriage, and honestly, she still was. However, regardless of that or her friendship with Edmund, she couldn't deny the fact that the idea of him marrying Odette made her feel... weird.

  Even seeing them kiss or do anything romantic invoked a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach. Was it because the relationship was forced? Was it because she secretly had something against Edmund? Hope couldn't tell you.

  And so, she sat before the statue of her father and wondered what he would say to her in this situation. Maybe he would laugh and say her standards for relationships were too high. He'd tell her that all of her expectations for relationships came straight from fairytales, and life simply wasn't as magical as the stories that raised her.

  Hope was certain she would never outgrow fairytales. She wished they were real, even if she was practically an adult.

  "Fancy seeing you here."

  Hope flinched at the sudden voice, whipping her head around to see... well, you could probably guess who. She offered Edmund Pevensie a little smile as he sat down beside her.

  "I can't seem to get rid of you," she joked. She noticed how his face was somewhat puffy and purplish bags hung beneath his eyes. "Can't sleep?"

  He nodded, running a hand through his disheveled raven hair. "I woke up about a half-hour ago and couldn't fall back asleep. You?"

  Hope shook her head. "No, actually. I'm a morning person. Even when I've gotten no sleep, I'm always up by sunrise."

  Edmund cringed. "Sounds like you've been cursed." He stared up at the sunrise as it peeked over the horizon. The natural blush of his cheeks matched the pinks that blended with the oranges and blues in the sky. "I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the constellations before we headed back to Narnia today, but it looks like I'm too late."

  "Do you stargaze often?"

  "Indeed," he revealed. "Did you know there are some gifted Narnians that can predict the future by reading constellations? I once met a centaur who said he predicted me and my siblings coming to Narnia."

  She furrowed her eyebrows together, glimpsing up at the sky despite there not being any stars. "That's strange. I'd never think the stars could... send us messages. I suppose that's just the mark of Aslan though, isn't it?"

  Edmund just teased, "Sometimes I think you're more Narnian than Wysterian."

  It was true. Hope wasn't kidding when she said the majority of Wysterians didn't believe in Aslan anymore. Every time Edmund mentioned the majestic lion, he was met with judgment or laughter. Hope seemed to be the only vocal believer in Aslan.

  "Today's the big day," Hope declared. "Are you excited to go back to Narnia?"

  "Is it that obvious?" Edmund joked, causing them both to laugh. "I am. I can't believe it's been a month already." He peered back at her after a moment. "So, what brings you here of all places, dove? I don't think I've seen you alone once the entire time I've been here. You're always with Odette or other castle workers."

  "Or you," she added. "You're all so high-maintenance." Gentle laughter left them again before she went on, "I guess you could say there was a lot on my mind."

  Edmund studied her face, curious. Their legs were subtly touching, arms brushing one another. Neither one bothered moving away from the other. Their closeness didn't bother them, it seemed.

  "Penny for your thoughts?" Edmund asked.

  "A what for my thoughts?"

  Despite her confusion, he chortled. "Never mind. What were you thinking about?"

  Hesitation swallowed her. Don't get her wrong, Hope trusted Edmund, but she didn't want to explain to him how she felt about his upcoming marriage. It seemed unprofessional and disrespectful, which were the two things Hope certainly wasn't. She decided to improvise.

  "I... was just thinking about what you were telling me about Narnia in the library last week," Hope revealed. "You seemed a little... I don't know... tense."

  Hey, it wasn't a complete lie. She was curious about why Edmund showed reluctance to tell her the full story, especially the details concerning the White Witch.

  Edmund slowly nodded. "Is that something you do with everyone or is it just me? Reading people, I mean."

  Hope had to contemplate it for a moment. "When you've lived a life of serving others, you're sort of forced to learn how to read people," she admitted. "I think you're easy to read. You're like a book."

  "That's strange. My siblings always get on me for being difficult to read... like a book," replied Edmund.

  She smiled before pressing her lips into a line, faltering. "It's just... When you were telling me about the Long Winter, you sort of flinched every time you mentioned the White Witch. Like a tick," she explained. Right away, she noticed him flinch, just a little bit. "...Like that. I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me. I was only thinking about it, is all."

  Edmund sighed. He cringed at the shivers that electrified his spine at the thought of her. He had yet to forgive himself for what he did, for his great betrayal. But something about Hope made him feel safe, unjudged. If she could tell him her life story, he could tell her this tiny fragment from his story, right?

  He looked up at the statue before them, feeling a peculiar sense of peace as he said, "No, I suppose it's alright if I tell you. We're friends, aren't we?" He paused. "Have you ever done something so terrible that it keeps you up at night?"

  "Well, one time I accidentally bodyslammed a king and lost sleep over how embarrassing it was."

  Her joke brought him relief, relaxing his suddenly tense muscles. "You're on the right track, I'll give you that."

  Edmund figured Hope had never done anything terrible in her life. Nothing like what he had done, at least. She was too pure and kind for that sort of thing: betrayal.

  "The first time I came to Narnia, I had followed Lucy into the wardrobe in the spare room. I was trying to scare her," he narrated. "At the time, the rest of us thought Narnia was a figment of her wild imagination. But when I found an endless forest and snow at the back of the wardrobe, I realized she was telling the truth all along. The only problem was I couldn't find Lucy. Instead of finding her, I found the White Witch. Or, rather, she found me."

  Edmund despised recalling his memories of the White Witch. Her name in his ears was like scratching a fork on a ceramic plate, and her name on his tongue was a bitter taste.

  "She told me she was the Queen of Narnia. She offered me bewitched treats and told me she could make me a king. I was a... foolish boy back then. Sometimes I think that if she'd just offered me a throne without the charmed delicacies, I would've blindly accepted it," he continued. "All I had to do was bring my siblings to her, and I'd become a king. I had no clue this was a ploy to gather my siblings for her to kill us in one spot. She wanted to stop the prophecy that would end her reign of terror, the one written about the four of us."

  He could feel Hope's gaze on the side of his face as he spoke, but oddly enough, he didn't feel the pressure of her judgment. He only felt his own.

  "I later found my sister and we left Narnia. We returned a few days later, this time with Peter and Susan. We met a few beavers, who told us about the prophecy in the first place. Instead of traveling with everyone to Aslan's camp, I betrayed them and joined the White Witch. It was then when I discovered she was using me," Edmund went on. "She imprisoned me and threatened to kill me if I didn't help her find my siblings. I eventually ended up at Aslan's camp after a few soldiers saved me, but the White Witch claimed I was her property. She said my betrayal meant I should die on the Stone Table."

  Her voice was soft as she pointed out, "But you didn't."

  "You'd be correct," he attempted to joke. Neither of them laughed. "Aslan died in my place. He ended up resurrecting on terms I still don't understand, but... I think about what I did often."

  He didn't have to say it for Hope to know he regretted his foolishness. With a frown, she said, "You couldn't have known any better."

  "Lucy did."

  Hope grew quiet for a moment before she declared, "...I think we're supposed to do bad things in our lives, even really, really bad things. Otherwise, all of the good things we end up doing won't mean anything."

  Silence swamped the gardens. Edmund wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it surely wasn't that. Her colorful words were simple but effective.

  Finally, Hope broke the silence again. "Were the treats good at least?"

  Ah, so it seemed she'd figured out that her jokes made him feel better. He wasn't complaining though.

  "They were Turkish Delights," he reported. "Uh... Thanks... for that. I appreciate it." He paused again. "By the way, I know that's not what you were thinking about earlier." A lopsided grin invaded his face as she peered back at him with wide eyes.

  "Wh—How...?" she stammered. "How could you... How did you know?"

  He hummed. "It's like you said. You're easy for me to read," he answered. "So, what was it?"

  Hope faltered. There was no way she could evade the question now. Besides, she'd just been informed of one of his darkest secrets. Then again, they were friends. She supposed she could trust him not to send her to the guillotine for her intrusive thoughts.

  "Odette and I like to do this thing where we ask each other questions about the universe that can't be answered. It's one of our favorite ways to pass the time," Hope began. "A few days ago, we had a conversation about soulmates. I... I think I believe in them, but... I don't know. It's such a weird thought that there's someone out there that's made for you, you know?"

  Edmund nodded. "It's intimidating."

  "Right?" she agreed. "Anyway, we got to talking about how maybe there's some sort of force that pushes you to your soulmate, like how gravity pulls us to the ground. And it made me think about how you and Odette... got together, I guess." She faltered once more. "Edmund... why did you agree to an arranged marriage?"

  He thought it was curious how she assumed he and Odette were soulmates. All this time, he hadn't thought much of their relationship in that manner, even after a month had passed. Because of this, his answer was so much simpler than he thought it would be.

  "My siblings and I wanted to help a country see better days."

  Edmund noticed how she furrowed her eyebrows together, trying to decide how she felt about his answer. Could it really be that simple? That led her to her next question.

  "Do you want to marry Odette?" she queried.

  She could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't expecting to answer that sort of question. He amazed himself when he had somewhat of an answer.

  "I don't have a choice."

  Hope disagreed. "Everyone has a choice."

  "That's easy for you to say," Edmund gently argued. "You're not in charge of two kingdoms."

  She shrugged. "Maybe, but... I think what's important is that we choose what's right for ourselves, not other people."

  This time, Edmund chuckled. "You're really good at this stuff."

  Hope tilted her head to the side before realizing what he meant. She couldn't help that she was such an encouraging and hopeful person. She hated seeing people beat themselves down when they didn't need to.

  She held up her chin. "They don't call me Hope because it's my name, after all!" She hesitated. "Well, I mean... Technically, they do, but... Wow, I'm terrible at motivational speeches, aren't I?"

  Amusement engulfed Edmund. "Actually, you're not," he opposed. "Well, your advice is better than your speeches, that's for sure." He smiled when she smiled. "You're better at it when you're not thinking so hard about what to say. Sometimes I think some of the things you say should be written down in a book. For example, that time you tried to convince me that clouds have feelings."

  Hope snorted. "Well, if animals can talk in your land and stars tell the future, I don't see why that's so hard to believe!"

  As they continued to chat and awaken the entirety of the castle with their loud bantering, there was a shared sense of relief between them. No more secrets they feared sharing, no more subtle awkwardness like they'd once felt when they first met. They were simply friends, and one day, maybe they'd be as close as Hope was to Odette.

  Hope had always felt like she never had anyone to talk about all of the silly things that ran through her mind. It was just so easy to talk to Edmund. Or, at least, it was becoming easier. He never judged her or made her feel unwanted, which she noticed was something she felt when it came to King David and Queen Lydia.

  Hope was glad to finally have a friend like Edmund.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

AH! Hope and Ed are BABIES!

I know it seems a little fast that a month has already passed and they're already friends and nothing much has happened, but that's because all the fun stuff starts happening when they get to Narnia! If you've read any of my other fics, you know I LIVE for dragging out the whole "pining/crushing on someone" thing, and you best believe it'll happen here, too hahaha

Also, (cough cough) the Pevensies might possibly show up in the next chapter, so there's something to look forward to! Anyways, thank you so much for reading so far! I hope you're enjoying the story <3